Your life is like the morning fog…

The garden at Swannanoa Palace

all that remains

left to decay

a faint whisper

of yesterday

once a fairytale

they say

covered in blankets

of fog so gray

on a mountaintop

tucked far, far away

Your life is like the morning fog—

it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  James 4:14

Swannanoa Palace

What little girl doesn’t want to be a princess when she grows up?  I sure did!  And I still do…I couldn’t wait to visit this old palace at the foot of the Blue Ridge Parkway this past weekend!

 Swannanoa Palace was built in 1912 by James H. Dooley for his wife as a summer vacation home. They both passed away a few years after it was completed, and it has been unoccupied for many years.  Despite the deterioration of this once beautiful home, the current owner opens the Palace for tours several times a year- but this beauty has definitely seen better days.

4,000 piece stained glass Tiffany window

As I took it all in, I couldn’t help but think of all the fancy events that may have happened here…dinners, dances, family gatherings… and the view- the spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains… well, it just happened to be covered by the fog that day- so even the view was left to my imagination.

My heart broke when I thought of how amazing this place could be- with a whole lot of TLC. The craftsmanship, the detailed woodwork, and the Tiffany window were just breathtaking!  But much of this home is a shadow of what it use to be.

I found myself longing to fix this place up. A home without a heart is nothing more than four walls and a roof… the vacancy of this place hung in the air.

The grande staircase

The beautiful, ornate walls

And He also reminded me that I have a perfect little castle that I already call home- filled with life, love, joy, and family…a little “castle” that I sometimes take for granted.  All of the things we have-  this life, this world- they are all temporary and fade with time.

And it’s not really the things I treasure- it’s the relationships with the people that share them with me.

Ornate ceiling above grande staircase with scenes of the four seasons

And then He reminded me that I am already His princess- and He is my King!

God is bedrock under my feet,     the castle in which I live,     my rescuing knight. My God—the high crag     where I run for dear life,     hiding behind the boulders,     safe in the granite hideout.  

Psalm 18

looking down the staircase

The King’s daughter is all glorious within; Her clothing is interwoven with gold.     Psalm 45:13

Solid marble staircase

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  

Matthew 6:19-20

One of the fireplaces… beautiful hand carved mahogany mantle

ornate chandelier

The music room

The weathered satin-covered walls in the music room

The side of the palace

The gardens

Solid marble banisters and bench in the garden

The servant’s house

The servant’s house

The only sign of life in this place… a tree grows through the window

The fog makes it even more lovely

The water tower… I told my girls it was “Rapunzel’s Tower”

a peek into the stairwell of the locked tower

The tower is covered in vines

The front entryway to Swannanoa

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